Birds Of A Feather
by DeliverMeFromArt
Summary: After moonlighting as Robin for 3 years,it is decided that Richard "Dick" Grayson will finally take a seat in the Justice League. But when he is inducted,he learns of a terrifying plan to rid the world of evil: killing off children with superpowers. Disgusted,Dick flees the League and goes on a crusade to save these kids from certain death,gaining new allies along the way.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Independence Day  
** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dick drummed his gloved fingers in anticipation on the armrests of his seat,occasionally stealing thoughtful glances at the driver of the car. Noticing these tiny looks,the driver chuckled.

"What's got you so excited?"He mused,blue eyes sparkling.

Dick could all but contain his excitement.

"What do you mean?!This is the day I've been waiting for my entire life!"He beamed.

His mentors soft smile,grew into a wide grin,as he reached over to ruffle his adopted sons hair.

"Don't get too worked up. You'll blow a gasket before we even get there."

"Yeah,yeah." The boy relented,waving the thought off. "Just drive old man."

And so they drove,simple,comfortable chatter floating between ,after all these years,had to have been the best moment in young Dick's life. For three long years he had served under Bruce Wayne,under Batman as his sidekick and companion. For three,long years,they had shared the title of Gotham's "Dynamic Duo" and today was the day he would finally be rewarded.

He was to be inducted into the Justice League. Alongside Superman,Wonder Woman and the others. It was a dream come true,far sooner than he'd thought. The only thing that could've made his day any better,was if the unrelenting rain would clear.

"It should be sunny. This gloom is harshing my _vibe._ " He muttered under his breath,gazing out of the passenger side window..

"It is a bit melancholic,isn't it?" Bruce admitted."But,hey,cheer up. I'll even see if Clark can make it stop raining."

Rolling his eyes,Dick replied."I don't think Uncle Clark can make the rain stop,even if he is the "Man Of Steel."

"You'd be surprised at what your uncle can do,Dick."

And Bruce left it at that,leaving Dick's mind to wonder about all the things his Uncle _COULD_ do,that he'd never seen. He didn't break from his thoughts until the car had pulled to a where they were,Dick quickly undid his seat belt and exited the vehicle,gazing up in awe at the building in front of him. He'd never been allowed into the Hall Of Justice before,even when he and Batman were working with the other Justice League members;But now it was his time,and he was going to savor every last moment of it,despite the pesky,gloomy rain falling al around him.

Bruce pulled him out of his reverie and the two of them walked up the steps,and into the enormous building,Dick taking in everything he saw ,they found themselves walking down a long hallway filled with the statues of current and past members. Dick was memorized as he saw familiar and unfamiliar Superheroes etched in stone,forever cemented in history.

"One day,you too will have a statue,one day." Bruce stated,noticing his young ward's look of longing.

"Really?! My own statue?" Dick gasped,jumping up and down.

Bruce merely gave a knowing look,and continued down the hall,with Dick hot on his heels with newfound motivation. It wasn't long before they had reached the end of the hall,and stood in front of huge,golden french walked to a keypad on the right side of the doors and fiddled around with continuing he glanced back at Dick,who nodded nervously and with that he opened the door. Stepping inside,he motioned for Dick to follow,which he did albeit shakily. The doors whizzed close behind him,signaling for Dick that there was no going back. He closed his eyes in a poor attempt to call his shaky was so nervous that he hardly noticed the adults that had come to see what the matter was.

"Dick,you look like you're going to puke!" A stern voice said to him,tentatively feeling his forehead. "Bruce! Just what kind of training do you put him through?"

"That's the last thing I expected to hear from you,Dinah." Bruce grunted,his voice seemingly coming from right behind DIck.

"That's because I've never seen him look this pale."She retorted. "Hey,little bird~! Are you alright?"  
Dick slowly opened his eyes,revealing the figure of a svelte woman in front of him.

"Hey Big Bird, I'm alright." He smiled sheepishly,rubbing the back of his neck. Dinah gave him a once over and went to sit down at the long table,that spanned most of the room, by her beau, an archer clad in green combat smiled at the boy,offering him a thumbs ,guided by Bruce,walks to the head of the table near two very familiar,smiling faces.

"Hello kiddo." One of the faces,a man who looked eerily like his mentor,curtly waved at him. The other face,a proud looking woman stood up and enveloped the boy in a bone crushing hug.

"Aunt Diana..Y-You're crushing m-me…"He choked out,and was immediately released.

"I'm sorry Dick,I'm just so proud of all are." She smiled. The man also stood up,grasping Dick's hand in a firm handshake.

"She's right. We are all so proud of you."He reassured the ,at a lost for words,simply nodded and was guided into his took his seat to the right of him. Diana also took her seat,as did everyone else,until the last person standing was man who had shook Dick's hand. He raised his hand,to signal he was about to speak.

"Thank you for attending this important meeting." He began. " We do have many things to discuss,but first we must acknowledge the addition of a new member:Robin,the Boy Wonder,who certainly is a wonder. He has faithfully protected and guarded Gotham with his life,since the tender age of 12. And with his 16th birthday,marking his fourth year as a caped crusader,who could ask for a better present?"

The room erupts in applause,causing Dick to blush heavily,averting his eyes. The man once again signaled for the room to be silent.

"And as such,I Superman,declare Robin a full fledged member of the Justice League." He continued,turning to the meek looking boy. "You are the future. Remember that,and welcome to the Justice League."

"Thank you,Uncle Clark." Dick whispered. Clark smiled at him,and turned his attention to the screen behind them.

"Alright,with the festivities out of the way,we need to discuss our current mission."He declared.

"Are you sure that this source is reliable? Predicting the future is no easy feat. Just who is this person?" Diana demanded skeptically. "We cannot just believe everyone who comes in here spouting about the end of the world."

"I originally felt as you do, I had J'on interrogate them." Clark gesture to the calm,green skinned martian man a few seats down. "J'on? What did you conclude from your interrogation?"

"This only as "The Seer",seems to be telling the truth." He stated.

"But how can this be?!"Dinah argued,pounding her fist on the table. "How does she know for sure?"

J'on's gaze hardened,not at Dinah,but at the memories that stirred up:The fear in the woman's eyes as she pleaded for him to not let the "mockingbird" this mockingbird was the key to end of the shook the thoughts away and proceeded.

"Because she was there." He said,sadly.

"What do you mean he was there?" Dinah's lover asked,eyes widening. "You don't mean..?"

"Yes. She knows how the future will play out because she was there to experience it. She's a Time Traveler as well as a Seer."

The room fell looked at the faces of all the adults and suddenly felt very out a place. They all looked so...well adult like and world weary. And here he was,wide eyed and out of the loop. The future indeed.

Breaking the silence,Dinah's Beau,Oliver chimed in.

"So what do you propose we do? How does one stop a future like that?"

"By destroying the cause in the past,our present." J'on replied,waving his hand at the screen. The screen turning on,flashed the phrase "Project X" before showing a database filled with different names.

"Those are…" Dinah's eyes widen. "J'on! Those are..!"

"Yes. These are the people who will cause the eventual destruction of our must be eliminated."

Dick's eyes briefly scanned the information on the screen before recoiling in horror,nearly falling out of his chair.

"Dick.." Bruce warned.

"No.." He whispers,voice shaking. "No..no..no..no.."

"Robin,I understand your sentiment," Clark began. "But this has been ruled the best course of action given the circumstances."

"Dick...Please understand." Diana, tried in vain to soothe him,but he cut her off,standing up quickly. He stood there shaking for all their eyes to see,jaw clenched in anger and confusion.

"I will not.. _hunt_ down children." He snarled,voice barely above a whisper. "I will not..!"

Without uttering another word,he takes off towards the door,Bruce standing up to go after stops him,however. Merely shaking his head.

"He has made his choice. Open the door and let him go."

Grunting,Bruce activates the holographic interface of his bracer and deactivates the doors,causing them to open. Dick leaves the room,never looking back,not even caring that the doors shut after he had ran out. He nearly choked as re recalled what his supposed Uncle had told him before the terrible plan was revealed.

"You are the future. Remember that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxX

And there you have it~! The first chapter of my AU fanfic, "Birds Of A Feather"!  
I've been thinking about this whole concept for YEARS but I was too chicken to try to even write it.  
But here I am.  
And here you are.  
Please R&R and I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Bye Bye Birdie**

Dick ran until he could run no more,his clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin. Collapsing,the magnitude of what he had witnessed and what he had done hit him. His blue eyes swelled with tears of bitterness,betrayal,and sorrow. So consumed with his own emotions was he,that he didn't take notice of the sudden lack of rain until a little while later. Looking up,he finds his view blocked by what would appear to be an umbrella. Dick scurried from underneath, in the hopes of locating it's owner. Upon further inspection,the boy realized just where he was,and his lips curved upwards into a small smile.

"I'm home…" He muttered to himself,closing the umbrella and walking up the steps to his significant other's apartment. He fished out the spare key and let himself in,before trudging down a long hallway. The walk gave him deja vu and fear seeped into him,voices of those he once trusted swirling in his head.

"You are the future."

"How do we stop a future like that?"

"This has been ruled the best course of action given our circumstances."

"You are the future."

"Don't let the mocking bird die!"

The last voice made him trip over his feet. 'Don't let the mockingbird die?' He thought to himself, 'Where did hear that?'

Dismissing the thoughts,he slid the key into the door and turned it. He was immediately enveloped by a slender pair of arms.

"Dick?! Why are you here? I thought you had an important meeting with Mr. Wayne..?" The voice belonging to the arms sounded worried beyond belief. Closing the door behind him,Dick collapsed into the voices arms.

"Dick?"

"I'm home, Harleigh…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So...Let me get this straight," Harleigh said,running a hand through his bright red hair. "You are Robin,the Boy Wonder?"

"Yep." Dick nodded,typing away at his laptop.

After arriving in his apartment unexpected and drenched from head to toe,Harleigh Quinzel,Dick's longtime boyfriend and best friend, practically ripped his clothes off and forced new,dry clothes on him. He then sat him down on their bed and, demanded he explain what's been going on,to which Dick happily obliged.

"So that would make Mr. Wayne Batman..?" He continued. Dick simply nodded his head,causing Harleigh to become excited.

"Oh my God! That makes so much sense. The sneaking out of my bed at random times in the night and the bruises...Why didn't I see it before?"

"I don't know."The ravenette shrugged. "The suspension of disbelief is very strong with superheroes. No one would believe that a kid like me has gone toe to toe with the Joker,would they?"

"No. I guess not." His boyfriend agreed. "But that still doesn't explain to me why you are here and not at the fucking Hall of Justice!"

Smiling sadly,Dick moved closer to him,showing him the screen of his laptop.

"This is why I left."

"What is it?"Harleigh's brown eyes lit up in confusion. "Dick how did you..How did you get this?"

"I'm the Boy Wonder. Hacking the Justice League's mainframe is a cake walk. It was actually part of my training." He smiled,fondly recalling the memories of him working day and night to be able to crack the code. Now he can do it in his sleep.

"So what is this? It looks kind of like a hit list."

"It is. Project X is the JL's ultimate hit list. Apparently a woman known only as the Seer,came to the League,saying that the future looked bleak,and that the death of the Mockingbird would spark the Children of War into destroying the world as we know it." He explained. Harleigh narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Dick..That sounds like a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie."

"I know it sounds crazy! That's why this plan is stupid. They're just reading into too much."He groaned,cracking his neck. "But whether it's crazy or not,they interpreted the Children of war as children with superpowers or children born from superheroes. Or villains."

The redhead grabbed the laptop from Dick,earning a sharp gasp from him. Harleigh began to frantically search through folder after folder until he came across a folder labeled "Extremely Dangerous." He held his breath in anticipation as ten faces popped up on the screen.

"Oh my God.."He whispered. Confused,Dick snatched the laptop back and looked to see what the matter was. He too covered his mouth in horror at what he had found.

"Harleigh..You? You can't be..You're the Joker's son?" Dick's voice was filled with abject terror and disbelief.

"The suspension of disbelief is at work here too. Because I wouldn't have believed it until now myself." Harleigh points to the info beneath his photo. "Apparently mom and I have the exact same names,just different spelling.."

"You don't really look like either of them,y'know.." The ravenette tried in vain to comfort his partner. "If anything you look a little like Harley Quinn. Which isn't a bad thing. She's quite the looker.."

"Dick..I am not worried about which parent I look the most like. I am worried because the fucking Justice League thinks I'm dangerous. Dangerous enough that they need to kill me! How can this be?! I've never done anything to anyone…"

Dick took the laptop from Harleigh and set aside,pulling the slender boy into a hug.

"I'm not dangerous…"He cried,clutching Dick's shirt. " I am not a bad person. I do not hurt people and I do not deserve to be killed based on the actions of my...parents!"

"I'm not going to let them lay on a hand on you,H, I promise." Dick soothed,rubbing his back. "I'll protect all of them,even if it kills me."

"Dick?"

"Even if it kills me."

So Dick and Harleigh devised a plan to find and locate the other children before the League did. They decided that they'd have to use aliases in order to remain anonymous. They also figured they'd need some new super outfits, prompting Harleigh to break out the "Old Rusty",his sewing machine and got to work.

"But..the League already knows who you are and Mr. Bruce knows who I am. They'll be hot on our trail."

"True." Dick agreed. " But that's not going to stop me. I have a duty to protect the innocent. And I will."

Smiling at his partner in crime's determination,Harleigh laughs.

"So what's the first course of action,Wonder Boy?"

"I left some important things at the Batcave. I need to get them back,in order for us to proceed with the "mission"." He explained,opening the closet and removing a large duffle bag from the top shelf. "So, I'm breaking into the Cave."

"That sounds dangerous,D."

"I know." He opened up the bag and pulled out his red and green suit,glaring at it. "Harleigh? When you make my new suit,keep the red and yellow but nix the green, ok? I just really hate how flashy this thing is.."

Harleigh smiles,nodding as he returns to his sewing. Dick slid the suit on,zipping it up in the back , attaching his his cape and pulling on his walked to the full length mirror that hung on the back side of their bedroom door and checked himself out.

"Why did I ever agree to wear this? I look the superhero edition of "To Catch A Predator."" He whined,pulling at his boy shorts."How could I have been so stupid?"

Giggling,the fiery redhead tried in vain to concentrate on the task and make sure he didn't sew through his fingers.

"I don't mean to pry,but "important" things is super vague...So what exactly is in the Cave?"

Dick clipped his belt into place and walked to their bedroom window. Opening it,he sat on the edge and swung his legs over the side. Harleigh asked him again, worry thick in his voice.

"What's in the Cave,Dick?"

Turning back to look at his lover,Dick slips on his mask,smiling.

"The future.."

And then he was gone,leaving a puzzled Harleigh to contemplate the gravity of the ravenette's words.


End file.
